160 suspects killed in encounters

160 suspects killed in encounters

KARACHI: As many as 160 suspects have been shot dead in ‘encounters’ in different districts of Sindh in just five months — March to July — according to officials.

“During the last five months of this year (March to July), a total of 732 encounters took place in various districts of Sindh in which 160 suspects were killed,” according to Sindh police statistics which were released to the media by assistant inspector general of police (operations) Arif Aslam Rao on Sunday.

The police spokesperson clarified that these encounters were led by different police stations of different districts, including Karachi. The official added that suspects killed by the police’s special units like the counterterrorism department were not included in the list.

Among the killed suspects, 52 were alleged terrorists, 103 involved in robberies and other crimes, and five were alleged kidnappers.

The police also claimed to have busted 225 “criminal gangs” through encounters, raids and other actions during the same period.

The police also seized 23 suicide jackets, 120 hand grenades, 12 rocket launchers, 102kg of explosive materials, one anti-aircraft gun, six LMGs/G-3, 366 shot guns/repeaters, 103 MP-5/rifles, 2,681 pistols/revolvers, and 17,983 bullets during the encounters from the custody of terrorists, robbers and kidnappers, according to the police report.

Meanwhile, Sindh Inspector General A.D. Khowaja, while taking a comparative analysis of the police statistics about the crimes, directed the police officers to enhance targeted actions and intelligence-based operations against absconders and other suspects involved in heinous crimes.